New treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome may offer relief to many who suffer from the stomach pain that accompanies this diagnosis.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, comes with stomach pain that can be agonizing to live with, but new research shows that there are treatments out there getting results. The latest edition of Reader's Digest contains news of a successful treatment and a couple of strategies to use when it comes to Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Approximately 35 million Americans suffer with IBS.
Antibiotics: Just a two-week course of a common antibiotic Rifaximin, has shown promise for many IBS suffers. Mark Pimentel, M.D. of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, conducted the research on the antibiotic treatment. The treatment shut down the symptoms of diarrhea, bloating and stomach pain for 40 percent of the participants in this study.
The relief lasted for about two months, with some of the patients seeing a substantially longer period of relief. This is of course a treatment that your doctor needs to prescribe for you, since the antibiotics are a prescription drug. This may be something you could bring up with your doctor as a course of treatment if you suffer from IBS. Pimentel says it is the most comprehensive treatment he has seen for IBS in drug trials so far.
The antibiotic approach is one way to go, but Dr. Saad F. Habba, M.D., a gastroenterologist in Summit, New Jersey says to check for other explanations for the pain and other symptoms. Two-thirds of people diagnosed with IBS had gallbladder related problems, say Habba, while still others were suffering from being lactose intolerant or had inflammation of the colon. These three conditions mimic IBS and all three are treatable, says Habba. This doctor advises someone who is given the IBS diagnosis to investigate further.
A trial conducted by Jeffery M. Lackner at the University at Buffalo-SUNY demonstrated success for 80 percent of the participants after using simple strategies like muscle relaxation. This treatment is basically using your mind to control the pain and the uncomfortable feelings, such as bloating that IBS presents.
Lackner reports that 80 percent of the participants reported improvements in their symptoms by just doing muscle relaxation and controlling excessive worry. Lackner says that changing how we respond to stress will change the symptoms of IBS.
Deep breathing exercises while slowly concentrating on the specific area around your stomach will help to relax those muscles. Like with anything else, practice makes perfect.
Reference: Reader's Digest June-July 2011 edition “If Your Stomach is in Pain Here’s Help” by Dorthy Foltz-Gray
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